Connect Using Screencasting and Web 2.0 Tools Presentation

Here's my Ecampus Spring 2012 Faculty Forum presentation. It highlights a few ways I try to engage and connect with students in my online courses. These can be used in online or hybrid settings.  Click on the arrow to get started or watch a recorded presentation of it here. 

Ecampus Spring 2012 Faculty Forum on Prezi

Links to screencasts and web 2.0 tools can be found on the web 2.0 tools page.  Scroll down.  Main web 2.0 tools discussed in the presentation are listed under screensharing tools, timelines, online collaboration, and visual words.

Happy learning!

The Teachers Should See This: Research and Expensive Food

I am eleven years old and a guest blogger here.  I often find interesting sites and sometimes want to share them.  I will occasionally post things I think teachers should see. I hope you like my post.

 Sometimes it’s hard to believe all the weird stuff people will buy. Like buying a cornflake for $1,350.00 or a Pizza for $4,200. I am going to tell you about the most expensive M&M. It was a brown M&M sold for $1,500! The reason it was expensive is because it was on the Paul Allen’s SpaceShipOne on June 21^st 2004. If you ask me, it still seems like a lot. Here is a math problem you can ask your students. How many regular M&M’s can you buy with $1,500? I know it isn’t one! If you want more details about the M&M, click here. 

I have been learning to cross-reference. It’s called triangulation and it helps make sure your findings are valid.  Here are some other sites that back these prices up: Most expensive cornflake 1, most expensive cornflake 2, most expensive pizza 1, most expensive pizza 2, most expensive M&M 1, and most expensive M&M 2. If you want to know why I picked The Most Expensive Journal to represent the most expensive M&M, pizza, and cornflake, it is because it has been posted by the New York Times, etc. You can read about it on its about page.

I am still learning how to trust a site and stay safe online. Here are some sites that can help: Using the Web, How to Do Research, Credible Sources Count! , Research It Right!, and Ivy’s Search Engine Resources for Kids.  This site by Mrs. Train has some good information I used.  At the bottom is a template that can be used to ask yourself if your sites are reliable.

Happy researching!  Don’t eat too many expensive M&M’s.

Change Begins with Questions and Discussions, Doesn't It?

Why are kids in school? How do kids learn? Why do kids learn?  What model(s) of education best fit the needs of our children?  Where is the future of education headed?  These are some of the questions that this stop-motion, claymation video called Technology and Education addresses.  It brings in ideas from Sir Ken Robinson and others.  

This video resonated with me due to discussions I watched unfold in my online course this past week.  This term, my class is composed of a great mix of preservice and practicing teachers ranging from those doing student teaching to those who have been in the field for many years.  I only bring this in because it is exciting to see this range of experience asking the same questions and supporting each other in their quest to make personal meaning. One of the topics of the week is what it means to be a “principled teacher” (Freeman and Freeman, 2011).  Part of the discussion took an interesting turn and surrounded the topic of teacher autonomy.  How much power does the teacher have in the class? How can we support and empower each other?  Where does the teacher fit into the mix of answering the questions posed in the video?  (Note another correlation of the week: scaffolding in lieu of direct instruction in this post ;-)

I really love my job thanks to the discussions of my students!

Google Search Stories Video Creator in Education

Update: Google Search Stories Video Creator is no longer supported :(

While looking for a quick and painless way to highlight some key ideas for my classes in a creative way, I was reminded of Google Search Stories Video Creator.  Below are two short videos I created and uploaded to YouTube with in a matter of minutes. I will use the first one to highlight key concepts students in my Second Language Acquisition course should know at the end of a weekly reading/discussion. This second video is a result of a brainstorm that shows key components I want to include in a Tech for Teachers course I am in the process of creating.

Second Language Acquisition Video

 

Educational Technology Video

Google Search Stories Video Creator is literally as easy as one, two three.  1. Type in key words/phrases and select the type of search you want Google to do: web search, images, maps, news, blog search, product search, or books. 2. Choose music from a limited selection  3. Upload to YouTube. 

This is pretty basic, but it  gets the job done and is simple enough for students to learn and use with limited time.  I wish I could adjust the speed and have more control, but this activity could be used as a stepping stone for engaging students in video productions where given the right tools, they problem solve how to do just this.

Met Ed: I was reminded of this tool by Richard Byrne on Free Technology For Teachers where he suggests students use it to make documenting the research process a bit more exciting.  I like the idea of having students demonstrate the main ideas in a reading by pulling out key phrases and creating videos with Google Search Stories Video Creator.  Students could also use it to create an advertisement for a product  where each search term represents an aspect of the product that is revealed at the end.  There is room for creativity and integration in various content areas!

How could Google Search Stories Video Creator support student learning and engagement in your class?

TED Ed Initial Lauch

It's no secret that I'm a big TED Talks fan, so today's part 1 launch of TED Ed's You Tube Channel put a smile on my face.  Chris Anderson gives the background Behind Today's TED Ed Launch. Chris explains that the "prime goal... is short lessons that spark curiosity. That deliver memorable 'aha' moments. That make learning thrilling."  Sounds good to me!  Watch the introduction video below.

The Playing With Language short featured playlist caught my attention.  Questions No One (Yet) Knows the Answer To already sparked my curiosity.  Chris's own video is the intro to the series that could promote discussion and be a spin-off to classroom discussion.  You can watch it below.  Also, check out all of the other featured playlists, which include Awesome Nature, How Things Work, and Inventions that Shaped History.  I know I will.

TED Ed is inviting teachers to share lessons and contribute.  It is inviting animators to contribute too. Stay tuned for the launching of part 2 next month which promises to "open up a new section of ted.com devoted to TED-Ed and offer some powerful new tools to teachers." Sounds interesting.

Happy exploring or maybe even contributing!  Feel free to explore my related past TED Talks posts here.

First Annual Open Education Week March 5-10

The first annual Open Education week will be held March 5-10 online and at various locations around the world.  It “is about sharing, reducing barriers and increasing access in education.  It includes free and open access to platforms, tools and resources in education (such as learning materials, course materials, videos of lectures, assessment tools, research, study groups, textbooks, etc.)” (About Open Education).  There will be more than 40 online webinars related to the topic of open education.  Check out the schedule and links to webinars here.  Follow the hashtag #openeducationwk.  

You can explore the site prior to the conference.  Read the welcome post.  Find out FAQs about Open Education, discover resources, and explore participating organizations.  They represent some amazing possibilities! Check out current projects.  Wikiwjs is an Example of a National Strategy on OER.  It is an example showing how the Dutch have been sharing from primary school to universities.  Here’s an interestng  link to OER K-12 BillPasses in U.S. Washington State.

Check out two of the featured presentations:  David Wiley in his TEDx NYED video and Cathy Casserly CEO of Creative Commons.  It’s interesting stuff!

As a side note, I discovered this through +Jason Neiffer of Montana Digital Academy at a time I was questioning the relevance of Google +, Twitter, etc in education.  I’ll keep at it.  Thanks Jason, and thanks for the follow!  It looks like Jason will be in a panel discussion with OER in K-12 Thurs, March 8 9 am Central.  It’s a bit early morning for me; the good news is that it sounds like the webinars will be made available after the sessions are over.

...Connect... Collect... Create... Share...

Part 1: Bringing Science and Language Alive with Dance and Art

This term, my College of Ed. class is looking at the importance of using hand on activities, realia, manipulatives, visuals, etc. to make abstract concepts and new vocabulary more tangible.  They are discussing the importance of connecting learning to real life experiences and things that their K-12 students can relate to.   Recent topics have spun around making concepts in math and science accessible to English language learners in ways that build upon language development and differentiate by level.

Below are some related videos for bringing science alive in ways that have the potential of connecting to language and the student's lives.  (Stay tuned for an upcoming post highlighting some in math.)  Watch them with your own learning process and classes in mind if you are a teacher.

Watch John Bohannon: Dance vs. Powerpoint a Modest Proposal (11  min).  This has become one of my favorite TED Talks, which is not an easy feat since I am a big fan.

Here’s one for the young learners and those of us who just like to watch colors combine.  Watch Sesame Street: OK Go-- Three Primary Colors.

Minute Physics has RSA like “Cool physics and other sweet science- all in a minute!”   Weigh a Million Dollars With Your Mind caught my attention with this question:  A million dollars is a ton of money-- but how much does it weigh?

Met Ed (Application Questions):  How can you use some of the concepts in one of these videos to bring science alive, make it accessible to a variety of learners, and build on language development?  What approaches do you take to accomplish these in your classes?

Happy lesson planning TCE students!

For the Love of a Book

Warning.  Once you start reading, you may not be able to stop thinking.  TheFantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is an extraordinary video that I will revisit many, many times.   Like a favorite tattered book, I can see gaining something new from it each time one watches it.  My kiddo and I have watched it several times, pausing and making connections each time we see it.  I can’t wait to connect it to one of my classes!

Can you spot some of my favorites in the video?  My further investigations have turned many of my long held opinions into mush!  The many and varied points of view I have encountered do not confuse, but enrich.  I laugh.  I cry.  I seldom understand things but…  I go round and round the mulberry bush.  Why does the weasel go “pop”?  Does it matter?  If life is enjoyed, does it have to make sense?

And what a gorgeous baby grand piano.  I’m fairly certain it is the same one my grandma plays in her living room!  My grandparents are after all two of the people who encouraged my love for books and writing and embracing the unknowns in life.  If you don’t know what I’m rambling about, begin by watching this video.  And then for the love of a book, pick one up and experience it!  Digital ones do count ;- )  Here’s a link to the app.

How does TheFantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore touch you? Those of us who love literature, writing, flying words that buzz in silence, just can’t stop.  Watch The Joy of Books and then read, share, and read!

This relates to my past post What’s a Book?  Is This a Book? I’m fairly certain it will relate to a future one.

Happy reading and writing!  (Happy birthday Grandpa!)

You Are Your Words, Right?

The American Heritage Dictionary has a fun, simple site called You Are Your Words that allows you to create a self-portrait with your own words. Upload a picture or use your computer's camera to snap one, copy and paste something you write, and then share it by downloading it to your computer or sending it to Facebook or Twitter.  Be forewarned though that your creations may appear in the public gallery on the website.  I didn't see any statement saying this was a possibility, which brings up an important connection to the concept of digital footprints.   We need to have ongoing discussions with our students about this idea.

For fun, I uploaded a picture of my puppy and copy/pasted an upcoming post I wrote.  The picture on the left is the result.

Met Ed (application):  I see multiple benefits of integrating art into writing and the use of typography!

a.  I could have my adult students do this as an optional assignment.  I wouldn't require it due to the sharing feature on the gallery and could offer word clouds as an alternative. (See my earlier post about word clouds.)  It would be fun to have each student write an introduction on my online classes and then use it to create a word self-portrait to share.  

After creating these, powerful discussions could arise about the topic you are our own words.

b. The site seems to work okay with animals as well.  A class could write something about a class pet or animal they study and make a word portrait of it.  The concept of you are our own words could be extended to animal rights and asking questions surrounding giving voices to animals.

How could you use You Are Our Own Words site or the basic concept in your class?  Feel free to share if you have similar sites or apps that work for you.  I also use a similar free app called aTypoPicture-- Amazing Typographic Picture (a wordfoto).  

Happy creating!  (You know you love typography in education, even if you say you don't. Wait, you are your own words, right?)

Update: Aug 2012 A reader notified me that the site was not currently working.  I hope they get it functioning again.  It's a fun site.
 

 

Here are a few related previous posts:

Word Clouds: Tagxedo, Wordle, Tagul, and Wordlings 

Illuminated Text and Kinetic Typography Bringing Reading Alive

Duolingo and Luis von Ahn's Ted Talk

I recently came across the Duolingo site which is in beta.  It sounded interesting enough to pursue getting a beta invite, but it wasn’t until I watched Luis von Ahn, a creator of that mildly annoying CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA anti-spam image that requires us to type what we see in order to prove we are people, that my attention was peaked.

Luis’s description of the background and his role in CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA  are noteworthy.   It’s remarkable that this process helps digitize books.   Beyond that factoid, what caught my attention are his reasons for creating Duolingo and his belief in its potential to harness crowd sourcing to get 100 million people to translate the web in all major languages—not a small undertaking.  This endeavor is worthy of discussion when looked at from a linguistic and second language acquisition perspective, a social networking perspective, and in light of the topic of motivation.

Watch the 17 minute TED Talks with Luis von Ahn entitled Massive Scale Online Collaboration below.  Also, check out the creativity of CAPTCHA art!  I like the humor of this one.  You will not want to miss the CAPTCH Vimeo which resembles Jabberwocky!  It's worth watching.

 

What do you think?